


Keep Me In Stitches

by HadenXCharm



Category: Bleach
Genre: Cameos, M/M, Shyness, Social Anxiety, Suits, Tailoring, Wedding Fluff, Weddings
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-07-23
Updated: 2015-07-23
Packaged: 2018-04-10 22:05:10
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 20,073
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4409504
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/HadenXCharm/pseuds/HadenXCharm
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Ikkaku has never worn anything formal in his entire life, so obviously, he's a complete failure when he tries to pick something out so he can attend his best friend's wedding. To make matters worse, when he finally finds a place that can help him out, the guy who works there is insanely gorgeous. All he hopes is that he doesn't make a fool of himself before he can get his number.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

_Mother Dear, I've fulfilled your fondest wishes._  
 _This machine I've made will keep your sewing really flowing,_  
 _In fact we'll keep the whole nation in_  stitches.  
 _Aaa-Ahhh~_

* * *

Ikkaku grumbled to himself as he stormed through the wide hallway of the mall, shoving past some giggling women. Goddamn Men's Warehouse. He was never going back there.

He  _knew_  that he was a meat-headed slob. He knew that and he'd made peace with it, and he didn't need to hear it from anyone else. The nerve of that fucking blonde to talk to him that way. Lousy smoking French guy and his crass way of speaking to anyone who wasn't as dressed up as him. He'd gained a sympathetic look from his green-haired companion, who was musclebound and understood his predicament fully from the irritated glint in his eye as he cussed the suit-clad Frenchman right back in Ikkaku's stead. Still, it was beneath Ikkaku's dignity to do business with them after that, and he'd stormed off.

Way to make Ikkaku feel like an uncultured swine. It was no good. There was a reason he hadn't gone to his high school prom or anything else like it. He didn't feel comfortable in dress clothes. He didn't see the point of them, anyways. They weren't good for fighting in, and they made him sweat. He hadn't had to go to any funerals lately, and anyone he  _had_  been to a funeral for wouldn't have minded that he'd come in casual clothes anyway.

However, there was an upcoming occasion that he could not deny he needed to look nice for, and as such, he was on a search for something that would pass as acceptable. It hadn't been a good way to start the day, to be jeered at for his complete ignorance of how to dress nicely. He'd like to kick that blonde guy in the head. Where did he get off smoking indoors anyway?

Ikkaku gave a long irritated sigh. He was a failure of a friend. He couldn't show up to a wedding looking awful; even he wasn't that heartless. But  _now_  what was he going to do? He was  _not_  going back to that place. He'd had enough of looking like a fool for one day, thank you very much.

Flopping down on a bench with a grunt, scowling hard enough that his face hurt, Ikkaku sulked for a few minutes, wondering how that green-haired guy had survived in that store working with someone like that blonde idiot. Admittedly, the cigarette-smoking blonde knew how to dress, but Ikkaku had no desire to get advice from the likes of him. God, that made him so mad.

What was he gonna' do now? What could he do? With a sigh, Ikkaku wondered about looking through Old Navy for pre-packaged dress shirts, but thought 'nah', because he didn't even know what his shirt size was anyway. Well, what were his options then? He couldn't return home as a failure. God, he couldn't look horrible at this wedding, or he'd never forget it. He was already feeling guilty and nothing had even happened yet. He couldn't be a best man and show up in a Black Sabbath T-shirt; Fuck, he was such a loser!

Dejected, Ikkaku got up and moped along. That blonde guy was right. He was a measly excuse for a man. What kind of degenerate couldn't even buy a suit and bear a little mockery? Sighing, Ikkaku passed by Deb's, realizing he'd come to the end of a corridor, with Younkers at the end.

Maybe he could acquire a life-threatening illness that would excuse him from attending the wedding? No, that was no good. Ikkaku  _wanted_  to go. He had been so happy to hear that his friends were finally getting hitched, and he really wanted to be there to see it. He wanted to go to a bachelor's party and make sure they got crazy, but not too crazy. He wanted to drink and see them stuff their faces with cake and slow dance. Marriage was a big deal. Even he couldn't deny that. He wanted to go, and he wanted to look nice. He couldn't let his kouhai down; Renji was counting on him to take care of everything.

Admitting defeat, he kicked the wall and turned, looping around to walk back the way he'd came along the opposite side of the hall. Absently looking up, he paused as he looked at a few models in the glass window wall at the front of the tiny shop. The dresses were floor length and incredibly expensive looking. What got him was the intricate detailing of the beads on the outside of the bodice. Was that a phoenix?

"What the fuck," he said breathlessly, leaning closer until his breath fogged up the glass. That must've taken _ages_  to make. It was definitely a one of a kind piece. He took a step back, peering through the mannequins towards the back of the store, which was probably the smallest section in the entire mall. It was in the very corner of the last hallway and it only needed two light fixtures to keep it lit.

If Ikkaku wasn't mistaken, there were suits in there too. To his surprise, in the window, there was a ridiculously good deal on men's wear, written on a tiny piece of printer paper. This place must not get much business. Shrugging, he went inside, not seeing any employees. There was soft classical music playing, and the lights were slightly dimmed, which made the intricately placed beads and sequins of the dresses gleam. Altogether, it was considerably less intimidating than the Men's Warehouse, in which you were selling your arm or leg to rent a suit from a crass ill-tempered curly-eyebrowed weirdo who obviously wished that his customers were beautiful women.

The shop was definitely obscure, and probably didn't get many customers, men least of all due to the five to one ratio of the dresses and suits. Ikkaku was sure that this store hadn't been here the last time he'd come to the mall, but that had been ages ago anyway. He bought most of his things online or at the grocery store.

There were a few shelves on the left side of the room, all built into the wall, and in the center of that section was a round cushion that could obviously be stood upon. Ikkaku was surprised to see some pins sticking out of it. There were a few half-open boxes of sewing supplies that were strewn on the floor. Immediately, it was clear that everything in the shop was handmade.

On the right side of the room, there were a few boxes stacked, dresses hanging up, and a counter with a cash register. There was a corridor along the middle of the back wall of the room, which led to a changing room and a place for the employees to lurk. Ikkaku could see a shade set up back there for customers to change behind. There were probably three-paneled mirrors back there. Jumping when he heard a loud rhythmic clatter, he recognized that there was a sewing machine in the hallway too. He didn't know how he had missed them, but someone was sitting there working, just inside the doorway to the little hall so that they were still in view of the register, but not being overly obvious.

Frowning in concern, he leaned his head around, trying to see if there were any other employees lurking behind him. When he still didn't see anyone, he approached a shelf which housed a few jackets, hanging on a rod. The quality seemed perfect to Ikkaku, but he still knew nothing about sizes. This was going to be painful, but he'd have to ask for… dun, dun, dun…  _help._

Swallowing, he scuffed his foot on the floor and cast a glance to the employee who was working diligently at the sewing machine on a bright fuschia dress. They were so absorbed in what they were doing that they didn't even seem to notice that Ikkaku was there at all.

The man paused in his work and sniffed, adjusting the table lamp he had hovering over his work station. Curling his hair behind his ear, Ikkaku could see that he had needles in his teeth. Immediately, he was shocked by how clear his skin was and his hands proved that this was definitely a  _guy._ They were smaller than Ikkaku's, but it was still clear that they weren't a woman's hands, no matter how well kept they were. Ikkaku immediately wanted to  _hold_  those hands and take a look at them - a weird impulse, but not one that he hadn't experienced before.

Fascinated by how focused and elaborate his skills were, Ikkaku watched for a few minutes, looking him up and down. He had on a white and grey striped shirt, and a flimsy powder-blue jacket on over that, with argyle details and pockets full of thread spools and scissors and the like. A gold watch glinted on his wrist, his leggings were a medium grey, and he wore simple black flats that rhythmically pressed on a mechanical pedal that made his sewing machine speed up.

He was kind of pretty.

Immediately, Ikkaku felt like this was a huge mistake, but he had to admit that all the work on display was absolutely amazing. He could give the guy the benefit of the doubt, right? Hopefully he wouldn't turn out as flamboyantly gay as that other guy…

"Hey, um…" He cleared his throat and announced his presence. To his surprise, the pretty employee didn't skip a beat or do more than look up. Ikkaku had been sure that he would've startled him, but he hadn't at all.

Getting flustered when that trained gaze fell upon him, Ikkaku felt pretty intimidated when he continued sewing without watching what he was doing. "Can I help you?" Ikkaku just gaped at him for a minute as his suspicions were confirmed. The moment the man spoke, it was immediately clear that  _yes,_  he was indeed gay. Ikkaku felt heat rising in his face. At least if he'd been straight, Ikkaku would've been able to tell himself that he had no chance, but no, he was gay, so Ikkaku could torture himself with the idea that he just might go for him. Fuck, but he was so damned pretty that Ikkaku didn't know what to say. Should he leave?

When he took too long to reply, the man paused in his work, his graceful hands bringing a stray thread up to his mouth so he could cut it between his teeth. With that, he turned in his chair, slender legs crossing as he put his hands in his lap and looked up to him expectantly. He didn't seem irritated that Ikkaku had interrupted his work, but all the same, he felt bad. Ikkaku looked down, eyes reflexively following the long line of those skinny legs, right down to his pretty feet.

Suddenly, Ikkaku felt like he'd been single long enough.

Forcing himself to remember what he'd meant to say, he grunted, "Um, I'm here to buy a suit." Able to flick his eyes up to him long enough to catch a glimpse of his name-tag, he bit his lip as Yumichika met his choppy uncertain gaze smoothly, which was really intimidating. His voice was mellow and dulcet, very calm and relaxing, although it didn't do much to slow Ikkaku's pulse. He was still fired up from being so mad earlier, and such a pretty face didn't help tame the heat.

"Wonderful," Yumichika replied, turning back to his work, and Ikkaku immediately felt the loss, even though he didn't know what to do with the attention when he had it. "Everything on the shelves is arranged by size," Yumichika continued dismissively, to Ikkaku's embarrassment. He couldn't stop watching his graceful hands as they worked. He looked agile enough to catch a grain of rice out of the air with a pair of chopsticks.

Besides that, his skin seemed like it was fucking glowing, and altogether, the calm serene attitude the guy had was striking Ikkaku dumb. It made him feel  _exceedingly_  stupid.

"I don't know my size," Ikkaku said flatly. Yumichika looked up to him then, seeming confused and a little exasperated. It was that same look on that blonde's face before he'd started berating him. Ikkaku gritted his teeth, preparing for war.

"You don't have a single suit of your own already?" Yumichika asked in disbelief, still keeping a semblance of politeness in his voice, which kept Ikkaku from turning on his heel and marching out while he still had his pride. He wasn't going to let this effeminate little wisp make fun of him too. It was one thing to have a more masculine gay guy pushing him around, but this was something else entirely.

Ikkaku shook his head, grunting.

"I see," Yumichika said, smiling and meeting his eyes again, switching his sewing machine off with a sharp click. He stood up, and Ikkaku moved back immediately when he got a little too close. He saw Yumichika cover his mouth as he realized his mistake, but he hid it quickly, bowing a little and clasping his hands in front of him.

"I apologize," Yumichika said, hair falling on either side of his face. Ikkaku realized that he was apologizing about making him fend for himself, not for getting too close, but he still felt the sentiment in his words, because Yumichika seemed to be making an effort to be very professional so as not to scare him away. Maybe Ikkaku's shyness had seemed like disgust. Just imagining Yumichika having to deal with people sneering at him when they picked up on his 'queer' attitude made Ikkaku's stomach turn. It had to be difficult to be polite to customers who obviously thought you were revolting.

The problem for Ikkaku was that he felt completely the opposite, and he wasn't exactly out of his 'mean-to-the-people-he-likes' stage.

Yumichika walked past him to the center of the room where that cushion was, rummaging in a few of his boxes and carrying them back to his work table. "Were you thinking of having something specially made?" he asked, standing nearer to Ikkaku than most would when they would speak together. Ikkaku took a step back, unnerved by the soft cool gaze; the unwavering eye contact seemed too personal, even though Ikkaku knew that it was polite to look someone in the face when you talked.

"Custom tailored?" Yumichika added, hands intertwined in front of him, one foot behind the other as he stared in rapt attention. Ikkaku didn't like being put on the spot like this, even though it was just the two of them here. With those eyes on him, he felt like he had an audience or something.

"Yeah, I saw your deal, so…" Ikkaku's nerves were still rather high strung, and he was still pissed from earlier, not eager to talk to another guy like this, but if he wasn't mistaken, under his professional façade, Yumichika seemed anxious too. He must not get many male customers, and the ones he  _did_ manage to snag must be terribly rude. Maybe Yumichika suspected that Ikkaku didn't find his lifestyle to be 'proper', which wasn't exactly true, given the kind of wedding Ikkaku was going to, but all the same, Yumichika's demeanor was unnerving.

The guy didn't blink when he listened, and it made Ikkaku incredibly nervous.

"Excellent," Yumichika said shortly with a smile. "I'm Yumichika, I'll be the one helping you." Yumichika held out his hand for a handshake, which took Ikkaku half a second to process, because not many people actually did that anymore. Still, he conceded, replying with his own name. Yumichika smiled at him, eyes flicking down for a moment. "Would you like to browse for a while, or are you quite sure that you'd like to purchase something custom-made?"

"I'm positive. I can't go home with nothing today," Ikkaku confirmed. Yumichika nodded in satisfaction.

"If you'll just stand in the light?" he asked, walking past him and holding an arm out to show where he wanted him to stand. Ikkaku nodded a moment too late and walked over there stiffly, standing rigid. He was sure that he was going to fuck something up, and looked to Yumichika uncertainly as he waited for him to approach. Yumichika just gave a sweet sigh, smiling again at him. "Perfect. If I could just take a look at you," he trailed off, and Ikkaku stood there, clenching his fists as Yumichika ducked around him with a critical eye.

He didn't get very close, frowning cutely as he walked around him in a circle, leaning back slightly to see him better. Yumichika's face didn't reveal what he thought of Ikkaku's appearance, but all the same, Ikkaku held rock-still, trying to arch his back. He felt himself sweating under his collar as Yumichika hummed to himself. He wasn't sure if he wanted this guy's opinion on clothing, even if he was the one who had made all the nice things in the store. If Ikkaku didn't know better, he might be the shop's owner, but still, he didn't know if he wanted clothing advice from someone who dressed like  _that._  Not that Yumichika didn't look amazing in his own way, but that didn't mean that Ikkaku wanted to dress like him.

Yumichika tapped his own lips, coming back around to stand in front of him, his eyes still crawling over his chest and legs thoughtfully. Ikkaku grit his teeth as Yumichika mumbled, "You will have a lot of options…" With a swift inhale, Yumichika straightened up and met his eyes shamelessly, smiling. "Your body type is well-suited for a lot of different styles."

"I wouldn't know," Ikkaku said, shrugging.

"You'll need my eyes then," Yumichika commented, smiling softly. Ikkaku's gut clenched up. God, he couldn't take this anymore. Was this guy flirting with him? Probably not, but maybe that was what Ikkaku  _hoped_  was happening. Even if he wanted this guy to be impressed with him, somehow he felt a little sick. Ikkaku was one of those people who was so uncomfortable with taking compliments and kindness that he couldn't stand still. The personal attention was getting to him already. Lashing out, he raised a sarcastic eyebrow.

"I don't know… I don't wanna' end up looking like  _that_ ," he gestured towards Yumichika's clothing, which wasn't all that bad in itself. Everything he had on was soft and gender-neutral, but still, when Ikkaku looked at him it caused hatred to build in his stomach. It wasn't fair for someone to make him feel so useless and stupid by looking so good with such a small effort. Maybe it was just the secret vendetta insecurity always held against confidence.

Yumichika's smile faded a little, and Ikkaku could see that he'd hurt his feelings. Hoping that Yumichika would snap something back at him, he was disappointed when Yumichika just closed his eyes and inhaled with a bitter smile, a nerve pinching in his forehead. Patiently, he opened his eyes again as if he were used to harassment. Making Ikkaku feel like the biggest jerk in the world, he looked down to his clothes, his taped-fingers, his disheveled hair, and the tools in his pockets. "This is of my doing," he said with a short forced laugh. "Look at my work, and not at what I wear, please," he said in a clipped tone, obviously feeling strained.

Feeling like a dick for being mean, Ikkaku scratched at the back of his neck. "Sorry, that was rude," he forced out, hoping that he hadn't made Yumichika feel bad about himself. Yumichika skated over it, ignoring him and going back to appraising his appearance, leaning around him a little, although he wasn't getting nearly as close as before. Ikkaku inwardly grumbled at himself because he could see that he'd made Yumichika think that he was dealing with a machismo-obsessed homophobe.

"Hm," Yumichika said lightly, not seeming upset anymore, going right back to his tentatively sweet attitude. "I see that you didn't come in anything."

"Huh?" Ikkaku grunted stupidly, still just reeling at how beautiful those eyes were and how cute he looked when he smiled. Wow… Purple, what a color. He had to say, that voice of his was soothing his irritation like warm honey, even though he felt so uncomfortable in his presence. Yumichika was just so pretty, and Ikkaku hoped to God that Yumichika couldn't tell that he thought that.

"What do you mean?" Ikkaku asked, because he was clearly wearing clothes, right?

Yumichika clarified that he'd come in a t-shirt and jeans. Ikkaku immediately understood why that blonde guy had been so unforgiving when he'd waltzed into his store, not knowing anything about what he was purchasing in the least. "You're not wearing anything I can work off of, like a dress shirt or pants."

Ikkaku just let out a low 'oh', scuffing his foot on the ground. Yumichika took in a breath and clapped his hands together as if he couldn't wait to get started. "You'll have to borrow some and try them on, if that's alright with you. This may take some time," he warned, uncertainty finally showing itself in his gaze. Ikkaku stammered a little, because Yumichika was so steady in looking him in the eye that it almost felt like a violation.

"I have a few hours to kill," he muttered hotly. Yumichika beamed, not skipping a beat as he moved through the small racks of clothes, continuously looking back to him as he talked so that he could compare sizes.

"Perfect," Yumichika said with a smile, and Ikkaku half-grinned back. "What kind of occasion is this piece for?"

"My friends are gettin' married," Ikkaku replied off-handedly, shrugging, trying to get used to the eye-contact. It wasn't so much that he didn't like the personal attention. It was just that he didn't like liking it, if that made sense.

"Ah, a wedding," Yumichika confirmed, sorting through some suit-jackets, making Ikkaku feel kind of stupid just standing there like a dork. "That's nice," he commented sweetly. "You'd like something traditional then?" he asked, looking back to him politely whenever he spoke. Ikkaku couldn't handle it. He knew that this guy was just trying to give him good customer service, but the kindness was still getting to him. Maybe Ikkaku was so pissed because he wasn't brave enough to flirt with him.

"I just don't wanna' look like a slob," he muttered, eyes flicking up to Yumichika's when he made a pitying noise.

"Hm, I see," Yumichika said, pausing and turning to him again, taking a look at him to envision what kind of things Ikkaku might like. "Something sharp and clean, then. I'm sure just about anything would look good on you. You're very athletic," Yumichika said flippantly as he dug through the closet. Ikkaku didn't say anything, nervously looking down. He felt like hitting the little twerp for that, but it was still a nice thing to hear.

' _Don't fuckin' be nice to me.'_

"Hm," Yumichika hummed melodically, swaying to the soft violin music playing as he looked back to Ikkaku again, eyes narrowing. "We may want to play it safe, though," he mumbled, turning back to the closet. "Do you have a favorite dress shirt or slacks that you'd like to use?"

"No," Ikkaku answered, feeling like a complete dingus. At least Yumichika wasn't making fun of him and his complete inadequacy as a man like that other guy had.

"So, you'll want a dress shirt, a jacket, and pants for your suit?... Maybe a vest?" he asked, not even batting an eye as Ikkaku admitted that he had no idea what he was doing. It was a nice change to have someone take him seriously for once, not thinking of him as a complete joke. Well, maybe Yumichika did think he was a joke, but he wasn't showing it at least, which Ikkaku was grateful for.

"Yeah, and a tie," he added. Yumichika nodded, pulling back from the closet with a few things folded over his arm. He lovingly stroked them once and then patted them, backing up from Ikkaku once more to take a look at him. Ikkaku still had a temper, but worse than that, he felt a little shy.

Yumichika didn't comment on that as he stood back and muttered something about a jacket with a V-shape to accent his ropy body type. Ikkaku looked up, and Yumichika smiled in his face. Holy shit. Ikkaku grabbed his chest when he got a heart palpitation. "Alright, we'll get started then," Yumichika said, ignoring his discomfort. "I'm just going to ask you to try on a few things, and… I will take your measurements," he said, pausing as he unfolded the garments from his arm, holding them out for Ikkaku to take. "We'll decide on all the details together."

He held them out, and when Ikkaku didn't take them, he said, "Here."

"Oh," Ikkaku took them, and held them cluelessly until Yumichika told him to size them against his body. Ikkaku held them up, pursing his lips questioningly. Yumichika patiently explained, taking a shirt from him and pressing it against his chest.

"Like this," he said, already lost in his own head as he held up something else against Ikkaku's torso in comparison. Ikkaku just stood there, rigid, blinking as Yumichika talked to himself, seeming at ease in Ikkaku's personal space. Ikkaku swallowed hard, getting a waft of perfume. "Hm, this may be a bit too small… Uh, here, I'll take that, and," Yumichika took the rejects back, and handed the ones he'd deemed acceptable to Ikkaku. When Ikkaku stood there for a moment longer, Yumichika smiled and asked, "Will you please put these on, and then I'll measure you."

"Okay," Ikkaku said uncertainly, taking a wary look at the dress clothes as he walked back to the changing room. Yumichika followed behind to his chagrine, showing him the wooden shade he could change behind. There was indeed a three-way mirror, and excellent lighting that would make for good quality photos.

Feeling ridiculous, Ikkaku set the stuff down and looked to Yumichika, who just added, "I'd just like to tell you that the things you put on won't look like the final product. I'm just using these as a base for your measurements, so don't worry if you don't like any of the things I picked out. We'll decide afterwards what the piece will look like, okay?"

"Yeah," Ikkaku answered, which was a bit of a relief, because he didn't exactly like everything Yumichika had grabbed. That made a little bit more sense; Yumichika had just been looking for something that would fit him. Yumichika gave him a smile and backed out into the hallway to give him some privacy.

Ikkaku stood there doubtfully for a minute or so, feeling exposed as he looked around. He'd expected a changing stall of some sort, but nope, he was basically out in the open. Peeking out into the small hallway, he could see Yumichika sitting down at his work table again, needles back in his mouth as he waited for Ikkaku to get a move on.

Well damn, he was in too deep to back out now. Ikkaku shrugged and pulled his t-shirt over his head.

* * *

 _Hello, welcome to our shop, which specializes in formal clothes for men. Hopefully, I can help you find something '_ suitable.'  
 _I was paid to say that._


	2. Chapter 2

_You're a real stitch._

* * *

"Okay, I'm ready," Ikkaku called, pushed the extra length of his dress shirt inside his pants, and twisted his torso uncomfortably when he tucked it in too far on one side. Luckily, he'd gotten the buttons done up in the right order so that he didn't look like a complete doofus. He was so sick of looking stupid today.

After a few seconds of checking himself in the mirror, he slid the jacket on and looked at himself doubtfully, seeing Yumichika peek in at him around the wooden shade, knocking first even though Ikkaku had called him in. Yumichika smiled reassuringly, and Ikkaku followed him out into the front, stepping to the side. He felt pretty ridiculous, but Yumichika didn't say anything about it, inviting him over. Ikkaku figured that he must look okay, but he didn't  _feel_  like he did. "Alright, come stand over on this X, please?" Yumichika directed him over a few feet.

Ikkaku tugged on his collar and shrugged a little to get the jacket in the right spot. It felt a little too small, not uncomfortably tight, but enough that it would restrict his mobility were he to try to hop over a fence or change a lightbulb - not that those were proper activities to engage in while wearing a suit anyways. Yumichika walked around him, assessing him with narrowed eyes. Ikkaku gave a sigh, tapping his foot. Yumichika came around to his front, looking him in the eye, probably able to see that he was hyper, impatient, and nervous.

"I'd like you to feel at ease," he said calmly, making a 'exhale' motion as he blinked prettily, looking to Ikkaku's face doubtfully, probably still thinking that Ikkaku didn't want a gay guy in his personal space. On the contrary, what was bugging him so much was that he  _did_  want exactly that and didn't know how to deal with it.

"I'll come a little bit closer to you, if you don't mind," Yumichika said softly, waiting for Ikkaku to nod. With that, he stepped in, ducking around him a few times, and Ikkaku cringed, able to feel his breath on his neck once or twice.

Seeming satisfied, Yumichika moved back in front of him, and the fact that he was a few inches shorter than him set a fire in Ikkaku's gut as he imagined picking him up and carrying him like he was nothing.

Ikkaku wondered how Yumichika kissed. He wondered if  _he_  was a good kisser. How would Yumichika react if he tried to flirt with him?

Yumichika was so pretty that it was almost a sure thing that he had high standards. Did Ikkaku have a chance? Did Yumichika think he was handsome? Ikkaku wondered so much that he was already going insane. He was so damn pretty and Ikkaku wanted to  _touch_  him, and here he was so close to him but unallowed to breach the distance completely. It was hard to be patient, but he knew he had to be. Ikkaku had to play nice or he'd scare Yumichika off.

Yumichika looked up to him and smiled, as if he was ecstatic about how good Ikkaku looked. Ikkaku was still reeling over the fact that Yumichika was the perfect height to tie his tie for him, the perfect height for him to tuck his head underneath his. If they were ever to dance in his living room, Yumichika could stand on his toes and would lean up just a little bit until their lips could meet.

God, was he sweating noticeably?

Ikkaku closed his eyes for a second, clenching them hard to clear his head. 'Shut up, already, this is a _stranger._ Don't be weird. You're only noticing him. It's just an attraction. It's just a crush. Don't get crazy.'

Yumichika didn't seem to dare to touch him without permission, leaning around him and looking him up and down. Ikkaku was holding his breath as his personal space was intruded upon, sucking in his stomach. He hoped his breath wasn't too bad. Had he showered recently enough? Crud, could Yumichika smell him?

Yumichika didn't seem to sense his distress, long eyelashes flicking down for a moment as his hands came forward to Ikkaku's wrist. "May I see your wrists, please?" Ikkaku held his hands up like he was ready to be cuffed. Yumichika made a small 'hm' noise, touching him as little as possible as he turned his arm and checked his shirt cuffs.

"Seems to be in order," Yumichika said briskly, looking up with a smile. Ikkaku took his hands back a moment too late as Yumichika got out his slack yellow measuring tape, which, to Ikkaku's relief, wasn't the kind that retracted at will and sliced your hands open. It was sewing tape, made of rough fabric, and wasn't rigid in the slightest. "I'll just begin now, if you will allow," Yumichika said with a smile, not backing up. Ikkaku tried to calm down, knowing he shouldn't have drank so much soda earlier on. He was probably visibly jittering. He felt like he was crawling through a minefield. Ikkaku hated that stereotype of men getting really stupid and spoony whenever some pretty tail walked by, but maybe he was one of those poor fools.

"I'll do your neck first, for your shirt collar," Yumichika explained, getting his tape ready and looking to his face, eyes flicking repeatedly to his neck as he leaned around him on either side. "This one seems alright," Yumichika mumbled, inviting himself to touch it, crinkling the crisp collar once, finger brushing Ikkaku's neck. "Does it chafe at all?" he asked, lip sticking out a little.

"No," Ikkaku replied, although he hadn't really noticed whether it did or not. He was still trying to adjust to the breach of his bubble of personal space, although it wasn't so bad to have Yumichika touching on him. Hopefully some of his calm attitude could seep into Ikkaku and get him to chill out.

"Turn your head from side to side? Nothing?" Yumichika asked, seeming pleased. Ikkaku did as asked and nodded.

"No, it's good."

"Just making sure the stitching I chose wasn't abrasive," Yumichika explained, coming a little closer to him so that their chests were only a few inches apart. He stood on tiptoe, leaning forward, peering around the side of Ikkaku's neck. Ikkaku stood still, side-slitting his eyes to take a glimpse at Yumichika's face as he breathed in his ear.

"It sits in the right spot," Yumichika said quietly, so as not to hurt his ears as he spoke so close to him. He touched the collar lightly, adjusting it, then moved around to his side, checking it again. "Alright," he said cheerily, sticking a little pencil behind his ear as he came around his front with the measuring tape.

"If you'll just- ah, thank you," he said with a small laugh as Ikkaku leaned down slightly so he could slip the tape around his neck. Ikkaku grinned a little bit, keeping his eyes lowered as Yumichika's knuckles brushed his chest and then adjusted, moving up around his clavicles. "Fourteen," Yumichika whispered to himself, holding the tape with his finger and moving in closer. "Fourteen exactly, perfect," he breathed, the sweet air hitting Ikkaku's neck.

Yumichika gave a little sniff and backed up, plopping down on the cushion-seat for a moment, avoiding the pins so he could just write down the number on a little pad. Snagging a clipboard from off the floor, Yumichika set his pencil on top of it, moving back in near Ikkaku.

It made Ikkaku feel more at ease when Yumichika continuously explained what he was doing as he was doing it, so that he wouldn't be surprised whenever he touched him. Truly, this whole experience was a confidence boost, since Yumichika seemed to genuinely enjoy his company. At least, he kept smiling, and his voice was so calming that Ikkaku couldn't help but relax and start feeling almost sleepy.

"Now, I'll just pinch lightly at your shoulder," Yumichika said, squaring himself in front of Ikkaku and leaning back a little so that he could make sure he was centered as his fingers poised themselves on the ridge of his shoulders, coming to the very edge and squeezing lightly between his index fingers and his thumbs.

It tickled a little, and when Yumichika moved in an inch, he felt him pinching the skin lightly. "The shoulder seam of your jacket should end at your natural shoulder line, I'm just trying to feel if…" Yumichika seemed to be talking out loud to himself, eyes distant and completely focused on his work, almost as if Ikkaku wasn't there at all for a minute. Of course, this was probably just the feeling Ikkaku got whenever Yumichika's attention wasn't completely focused upon him.

When they talked, when Yumichika looked at him and listened so intently, Ikkaku really felt like he was the only man in the world, which was foolish, because it was likely that Yumichika treated all his customers like this. Still, Ikkaku enjoyed it very much.

"Okay," Yumichika said to himself, nodding once and exhaling, voice still lowered slightly since they were closer together. The soft tone just soothed Ikkaku even more. Maybe it had been luck that the first store hadn't worked out. It wasn't as if he didn't  _want_  Yumichika to have any more customers, but he liked being the center of his attention.

"Okay, this is a little too small, you have broad shoulders," Yumichika commented, and Ikkaku couldn't help but grin stupidly as butterflies burned in his gut. Yumichika looked up to him warily for a reaction, realizing he'd been talking to himself. Ikkaku met his eyes for an instant, a little embarrassed, but thankful for the compliment. "We'll adjust that, then," Yumichika said with a pleased grin, making a note on his paper pad.

"If you'll just hold still, please," Yumichika said softly, and the way he asked didn't make Ikkaku feel offended, or as if he was the squirmiest worm on the face of the planet. He'd taken Yachiru to get her hair cut before, and had had to listen to the barbers get more and more annoyed when she kept tipping her chin down too far over time. Yumichika wasn't suggesting anything at all.

All the same, he didn't dare to breathe as Yumichika held the tape up to him, two fingers pressing against the pulse point of his neck, right at the base, as he lay the tape along his shoulder, to the very edge. He held it still for a minute, and Ikkaku stood like a statue as Yumichika pursed his lips and adjusted it. "Nine and a half. Good." Ikkaku let air rush out of his lungs as Yumichika moved away to write the number down.

"Hm," Yumichika sighed sweetly, really seeming to love his job. Ikkaku did think that he looked completely at peace like this, working here. "Your jacket sleeves should be slightly shorter than your shirt sleeve," while saying this, he touched Ikkaku's arm, gently bringing it up like they were checking his watch. "See how nice that looks?" he asked, looking up to Ikkaku with a grin. Ikkaku nodded earnestly, glancing back. It did look a lot crisper to have about an inch of his white shirt cuff showing below the jacket.

"You can wear cufflinks and really impress people," Yumichika commented lightly, sniffing and letting go of his arm. "I'll just measure your arm if you'll lift it slightly." Ikkaku obeyed, holding his arm up, and Yumichika fixed it for him so that he was keeping it flat out to his side at a ninety degree angle. "Thank you," he said with a smile, pulling his own hand back to his chest. Ikkaku nodded as Yumichika came around behind him, overaware that Yumichika's face was close off to his right.

After a moment, Ikkaku glanced back and heard Yumichika give a little sigh. "Alright, this is no good, take the jacket off, please." Ikkaku shrugged, and took it off, hoping he wasn't noticeably sweating. It was always really obvious through the thin fabric of a dress shirt.

Yumichika folded the jacket up and tossed it onto the cushion. "That's better." He tossed his hair, scratching his forehead with the back of his wrist. "I can estimate better than when the jacket's actually there. If you trust me, that is," he commented hesitantly, meeting Ikkaku's eyes hopefully.

Ikkaku just shrugged, holding up his arm again cautiously. "You do this a lot?" Yumichika let out a breathless laugh, putting his hands on his hips and looking to the ground.

"Not as much as I'd like. The Men's Warehouse gets plenty more customers than I do," Yumichika admitted. "Most of the people I see in here are young women who were dissatisfied with the dress sizes at Deb's," he gestured, pointing to the store across from his. "But then, women are nice to work with too." With a wistful sigh, he took a step in, coming up in front of Ikkaku. "It warms my heart… to see such beautiful people," he sighed as he touched Ikkaku's arm lightly as if to test if it were steady. "Oh, I'm sorry, you can put your arm down, I've got to see something first. I'm sorry," he repeated, but Ikkaku just shrugged flippantly, letting Yumichika take his hand again and check the cuff.

"As I said, you want to show the cuff of your shirtsleeve, so…" Yumichika trailed off, seeming to forget that he'd been talking as he measured Ikkaku's hand, from slightly below his thumb. "Yes, there needs to be… about another inch here." He looked up to Ikkaku's face. "Okay," he gestured to him to hold his arm up again. Ikkaku obeyed patiently.

Very gently, touching him as little as possible, Yumichika placed the end of the tape at the base of his neck, snaking it over his shoulder and holding it there, then at his elbow, then at his wrist. "Excellent, Thirty-two… And an extra inch to give your arm room to bend in the sleeve," he mumbled, coming around behind Ikkaku to his other side. "I'll just do both arms to make sure that..." He touched Ikkaku's arm and brought it up. Ikkaku held it there, letting Yumichika measure that one too. "Yes, they're both thirty-two. Wonderful."

Ikkaku gave a sigh, eyes slipping closed. His back was tingling slightly as Yumichika touched him there and told him to please keep his arms up. If Ikkaku was sweating, Yumichika didn't say anything about it as he crouched slightly and measured his arms from armpit to wrist. "Twenty six and…. Twenty six, good."

Giving a sniff, Yumichika let Ikkaku relax and wrote down the arm measurements on his paper. Ikkaku tugged at his collar a little to give himself some air. Yumichika swayed slightly to the music as he jotted down a few things. Ikkaku just stood there like a chump, looking around as if it would give him something to do.

For once, Yumichika didn't look up to him as he spoke, too focused in what he was writing. His speech was slow and disjointed, obviously distracted. "The measurements for the jacket will be half an inch larger just to give you some room." Finally, he finished, looking up in concern when he saw Ikkaku still standing there. "How are you, are you doing alright? Would you like some water?"

Ikkaku shrugged. "I'm doin' okay." He was actually feeling pretty relaxed now, even though he was still kind of shy. Yumichika smiled like he'd made it his business to seek Ikkaku's comfort and was genuinely pleased that Ikkaku was alright. The idea was quite appealing, and maybe a bit of a turn-on. Suddenly, he wondered if Yumichika made his own clothes, or his own underwear. God, no, he couldn't fantasize here.

"That's good, I'm glad," Yumichika said absently with a sigh, loosening up a little as he stood back up and waltzed towards him.

"I'm going to measure your chest and your back now," he explained, standing in front of him, trailing a finger lightly on one of the lapels to pick off a piece of dust. Ikkaku swallowed, gut tensing up of its own accord. As if he'd said this a million times before to pushy men who refused to stand normally without tensing up their muscles to impress him, Yumichika calmly explained that he needed to stand a certain way.

Looking him in the eye while he made the request, he clasped his hands together, "I'd just like you to stand how you normally stand so I can get the natural curvature of your spine." He made a mock muscle, gritting his teeth to make Ikkaku laugh. "Don't clench up or stand extra straight or rigid," he said with a little sigh. "I'd really like you to stand comfortably, so that I can measure accurately and that it will fit the best when you are at rest, alright? You don't need to slouch, but go ahead and relax yourself," Yumichika waved his hands a little bit, "Just pretend I'm not even here."

' _How could I do that?'_  Ikkaku thought hopelessly, taking a slow breath out as Yumichika gave a pleased smile. "Okay," he agreed, shaking his arms a little bit to loosen up.

"I'll just come behind you and measure," Yumichika explained, moving behind him and putting a hand on his shoulder, "from your neck to the bottom of your back." Ikkaku tried to stand with good posture, but also stay calm and loose at the same time, looking straight ahead.

"Your jacket should cover your rear, and you should be able to tuck in your dress shirt, so I'll add a few inches on from the bottom of your spine. That way, the bottom of both pieces will reach to the very top of your thigh." Yumichika lightly poked where he meant. Ikkaku held his breath, feeling it and jumping.

"Just relax," Yumichika reminded quietly, causing Ikkaku to let out a gust of air. That made Yumichika giggle a little bit, and Ikkaku snorted.

"Sorry," he breathed, letting his shoulders slump slightly, his weight shifting to one side like how he normally stood.

"Thank you," Yumichika whispered, very close behind him, measuring his back. Ikkaku knew that there was a reason for this, since Yumichika had clearly explained why he was doing it, but he still felt like Yumichika had his hand right on his ass.

Yumichika leaned away to write the number down, and Ikkaku swallowed, cracking his neck and closing his eyes as Yumichika moved behind him again, a hand on each shoulder blade. Back tingling intensely, Ikkaku stayed still as Yumichika's fingertips trailed from shoulder to shoulder, holding the tape down. That felt really nice. "Twenty-three," he could hear whispered behind him, slightly to the right, skin warming as Yumichika's breath ghosted over his neck. "Aaand…" Yumichika turned the tape and measured in a straight line from the middle of his back down. "Twenty five."

Yumichika moved to the side to write those down and then came in front of him, smiling a little as Ikkaku stretched. "Alright, lift your arms… Thank you," Yumichika got closer to him, and it almost felt like he was hugging him for a minute as he moved forward and slid the tape around Ikkaku's back, measuring the widest part of his chest. Sliding the end around to the front so he could see it, Yumichika hummed, lip sticking out as if to say 'not bad'. "Thirty nine. Good," he said softly, moving back, leaving Ikkaku in a cold sweat. Yumichika's perfume smelled really expensive.

"Alright, I'm going to measure your waist now, if that's alright," Yumichika warned, getting in close with a smile, "I'm just going to come around here – oop - Excuse me," he said as he leaned in and reached around him, holding the tape in front of him at the smallest part of Ikkaku's waist. Their bodies brushed together slightly as Yumichika swayed a little too close to him, and Ikkaku's brain practically fried. There was nothing even remotely suggestive or forward about Yumichika's attitude, but Ikkaku just couldn't help it as his mind scraped through the gutter, getting so obscene that he felt like covering his ears and screaming, blushing madly.

"Thirtyyyy… two," Yumichika finished, oblivious and innocent to Ikkaku's thoughts, which made him feel pretty horrible. He touched his nose suspiciously, just making sure there wasn't any blood. What kind of jerk was he, getting turned on when Yumichika was barely even touching him? "Perfect," he said with a smile, letting Ikkaku go. "Okay, I'll measure your pants now." Ikkaku looked up in horror, hoping that Yumichika wasn't going to kneel down in front of him. Holy crap, he wouldn't be able to help but fantasize about getting a blowjob, and that would definitely make things awkward.

"You can try these dress pants on, if you don't mind," Yumichika suggested, selecting some and handing them to him, even though he was already wearing some. "I think these might fit you better than the ones you're wearing," he said, gesturing inanely towards Ikkaku, who went scarlet and stormed towards the back of the store to change.

These pants hadn't been tight a few minutes ago.

* * *

 _I need, I need…_  
What, what do you need?  
A tailor… because I ripped my pants!


	3. Chapter 3

_Have you heard the legend about the thread of fate?_

* * *

"Are you doing all right so far?" Yumichika called, voice almost sing-song as he rummaged through the closet. Ikkaku wondered how bad Yumichika would flip out if he grabbed his ass a little. He felt like he  _had_ to, ya' know? I mean, it was  _right there!_

"Would you like to take a short break?"

"Yeah," Ikkaku muttered dazedly as his head spun. He had to get it under control. "That'd be nice," he said, sitting down and slumping, wiping his forehead with his wrist. He was a man, right? And a man's gotta' show a little restraint. Yumichika was sweet, besides. The sparkles that Ikkaku felt in his stomach whenever Yumichika touched him even a little bit or smiled at him, that feeling was beyond enough. Everything else, his tush, his pretty hair and those legs that went on forever, that was all frosting on the cake.

It was too bad that Yumichika was only being nice to him because he was his customer. It was just customer service and that was all. It was innocent kindness, and it shouldn't get to Ikkaku as badly as it did. Ikkaku suspected that Yumichika wasn't always this nice, because there was always just a hint of barely concealed snarkiness in Yumichika's tone, which told him that he was normally a lot sassier than he'd care to admit.

"Alright," Yumichika said with a sigh, having dug out a large roll of fabric, lugging it over to his work table. "I'm just going to go over here, and you can tell me when you're ready," he called, sitting down eagerly and turning on his lamp, beginning again where he'd left off without hardly taking a moment to reorient what he'd been doing. It was as if he'd only been gone for a moment.

"Oh…" Ikkaku looked up, turning towards him by sliding around the edge of the cushion, stopping when some pins jabbed into his thigh. "You don't wanna' chat?" he asked disappointedly. Yumichika looked up cluelessly, realizing that Ikkaku was still talking to him.

Processing what he'd said, Yumichika gave him a brief apologetic look and then turned back to what he was doing. "I don't like to talk while I work." He smiled quickly to Ikkaku one last time, practically blinding him. Ikkaku blinked a few times, stunned for a couple seconds. Oh, he was just hopeless.

"Your charming company would distract me too much," Yumichika hummed, moving his hands swiftly as his sewing machine clattered to life. Ikkaku watched him thread it and wrap a bobbin through the top of the machine, giving a long sigh.

"Okay," he replied, but it was lost on Yumichika, who was far too focused to pay him any attention. Yeah, Yumichika's attention, his way of listening so well and looking in his eyes when he talked, that was just something he did with everyone who came in. It was just his manner of speaking, and it had been Ikkaku's fault to take it personally. He'd just had the luck of being a customer to Yumichika, and then the misfortune to take it seriously for a minute. Yumichika was probably just glad for some business. He didn't  _really_  want Ikkaku here, ruining his peaceful atmosphere.

Ikkaku still enjoyed watching him work. Once Yumichika had sized and sewn up the side of the dress and attached a zipper, Ikkaku got up and came around behind him to watch as he took the dress away from the machine, marking out an intricate pattern with a piece of black chalk.

Then, over the course of about ten minutes, he began individually sewing on tiny beads by hand. The pattern looked like it would eventually turn into a stylized ritzy butterfly offset by swirls that reminded him of the painting,  _Starry Night_. Ikkaku shook his head in amazement at how steady Yumichika's hands were and that he didn't get tired of such tedious work. Even though he worked as fast as he did, it would probably take him weeks to finish.

"Ready?" Yumichika asked calmly, not looking up. Ikkaku leaned back quickly, not having realized that Yumichika had known he was there, breathing down his neck.

"Yeah," he said in a rushed brisk tone, turning around and marching back over to the tape-x on the floor, waiting for Yumichika to come back and cater to him. If this would only last for a little while, he'd damn well enjoy it. "That looks really good," he complimented, although he didn't really like the bright magenta-fuchsia hue of the dress itself. He supposed it wouldn't look so bad with the iridescent beads and sequins all over it when Yumichika was finished. It was impressive that he could make such a loud color look so classy.

"This one was specially made," Yumichika said with a wistful sigh, folding the dress carefully through a hanger and laying it down, running his hand over it lovingly. "The girl who'll wear it is a truly lovely person. Very sweet," he commented softly, eyes flicking down. Ikkaku thought he looked sad for a minute, but didn't mention it, trying to bring him out of his mood.

"Uh… I'm impressed," he said offhandedly, never mind that he didn't say that to  _anyone_ , no matter how impressed he was. Yumichika looked up with a weary smile, seeming to want to continue on with his work on the dress instead, but still, he stood and took his measuring tape, spinning slowly and making sure he had everything.

"Maybe you could buy one for your girlfriend," Yumichika said quietly, and Ikkaku had to say, after recharging and working on his own things, he really seemed serene and at peace, if not in another world entirely.

Ikkaku shrugged darkly, but still he conceded to say, "Maybe." Yumichika came out of his subdued silence and turned to him with a gentle smile. Ikkaku wondered if Yumichika thought he had a girlfriend. Did Yumichika have a boyfriend? Were they in love? Was Yumichika happy with him?

"I'd like you to try this jacket on after I measure your pants. This one is better fitted to you," he offered, handing it to him. Ikkaku nodded and set it down on the cushion seat, standing near it. Ikkaku popped a stick of gum in his mouth as Yumichika got closer to him again. He had to try to emulate Yumichika's intense calm, to become at ease once again, because he couldn't start stressing out once Yumichika measured him from the waist down or everything would fall to shit.

"Okay, I'll take the widest part of your hip," he explained, running the tape around Ikkaku's back and towards where his belt would normally go. Yumichika didn't seem to sense the awkwardness Ikkaku felt, which caused all of the tension to just melt away. Ikkaku stood still, not quite as uncomfortable as before. Yumichika tugged him forward an inch, teasingly, and Ikkaku just laughed as Yumichika held the tape together at the front of his pants.

"Thirty five. Marvelous," Yumichika said quietly, writing it down. "Okay, Your pant leg should stop above the heel of your shoe, but still cover your ankle…" Yumichika stood back, taking a look at him. "These may be too long, but we'll take care of that," he said, flashing a brief smile, squatting down in front of him to Ikkaku's surprise. Geez, he was awfully close. It took everything Ikkaku had not to take a step back, but Yumichika moved to the side almost immediately, kneeling at the side of his leg so that his face wouldn't be in his crotch. The relief was bittersweet.

"I'm going to measure your sideseam, alright?" Yumichika began, appreciative when Ikkaku stayed still and let him measure from the top of his hip down to his ankle. Goosebumps rose on his skin as Yumichika's fingers trailed down his leg in one smooth motion. "Fourty one, okay, and your inseam too, if you don't mind. Could you just spread your feet apart a little bit?" Yumichika asked, looking up at him. Ikkaku nodded, mouth having gone completely dry.

Still, Yumichika stayed kneeling on the outside of his leg, so that they wouldn't look completely obscene should someone pass by. Ikkaku reminded himself that this was all very professional and that  _he_  was the one being weird. He spread his feet shoulder-width apart, biting his tongue hard when Yumichika's hand skated up the inside of his leg.

"This good?" he asked, trying to swallow down the desert inside his mouth. Yumichika smiled as if nothing were amiss, holding the measuring tape at the top of the inside of Ikkaku's leg, running the end down to his ankle.

"Perfect, thank you," Yumichika said calmly, completely comfortable with what he was doing. Ikkaku breathed a subtle sigh of relief when things didn't get unbearably awkward. "Thirty seven," Yumichika commented idly, removing his hand,  _finally._

Ikkaku twitched a little when Yumichika pulled his pant leg up slightly and wrapped the tape around his ankle. It tickled, but he didn't move, just looking down and watching with interest. "Eight." Yumichika looked up and Ikkaku tried to pretend like he hadn't been staring.

"And one more thing," Yumichika stood up, seeming put upon and almost ashamed. Ikkaku listened earnestly, eyebrows coming together. "I'll measure through the legs, to be sure there's enough space for you to sit down and walk," Yumichika explained, visibly nervous. Trying to play it off like a joke, he smiled a little and forced a laugh, seeing that Ikkaku wasn't comfortable with this. "Your pants need to be comfortable around there. God knows we men feel it when pants are too tight… Is that okay?" he asked uncertainly, looking to Ikkaku's face.

Ikkaku nodded. "Yeah," he said, and it was easier coming out than he'd expected it to be. Yumichika smiled, no longer cautious now that Ikkaku had agreed. Of course, Ikkaku should've expected that Yumichika was indifferent to touching him and that he'd only been nervous because he'd thought Ikkaku would react badly.

Yumichika held the end of the tape at the top of Ikkaku's pants, where the belt buckle would be, and then snaked the tape through his legs, up to the back, pulling it tighter, but not too tight.

Ikkaku just blushed red, putting a hand over his mouth and looking at the ceiling as Yumichika ducked slightly to see if it was too tight or too slack. "How's that?" Yumichika asked with concern, voice much too close to his hips.

"Good," he said sharply. Yumichika seemed satisfied with that and swiftly removed his hands. Ikkaku, feeling flustered, just ran a hand over the back of his neck, eyes still anywhere except Yumichika's face.

"Just a few more things I'd like to ask, then," Yumichika said carelessly. "Will you please button yourself up?"

Ikkaku's immediate response was to check the zipper of his pants, but then realized that wasn't what Yumichika had meant. He slid the jacket on and buttoned up the front, chewing on the inside of his cheek. God, why was he so fucking nervous? It was almost over, wasn't it? If only the two of them had met in a different setting, on Ikkaku's terms, then he'd be able to  _say_  something.

He wondered if Yumichika liked to fight.

"Do you like the length of the lapels?" Yumichika asked, "Yes?" Ikkaku looked down at his chest to inspect the collar of his jacket. They looked okay to him, so he nodded. Yumichika seemed pleased, smiling and slipping the tape around his neck to measure them. "Twenty five. And also, there should be enough room in the jacket that you can easily slide your hand inside. So, if you don't mind," Yumichika invited himself closer to him and placed his hand on Ikkaku's chest, moving it to the side and then inside the jacket slightly. He didn't squeeze in the slightest to test Ikkaku's muscles, but Ikkaku still clenched his chest up.

"Okay, this seems fine," Yumichika said, not seeming to notice or appreciate how much Ikkaku obviously worked out. Ikkaku frowned in disappointment. Yumichika's boyfriend must be huge.

"Does it feel too tight? What do you think?" Yumichika asked. "Here, try it yourself," he said, keeping his hand there. Ikkaku was happier than he should be about that. Ikkaku put his own hand inside, moving to the other side because he wasn't brave enough to grab Yumichika's hand and say something bold.

"This is good," he said lightly. Yumichika smiled, and Ikkaku knew immediately that he was going to look absolutely bomb at this wedding. Yumichika would do a great job. He was sure of it. This whole experience had certainly been a confidence boost, to receive such close personal attention. Somewhere in Ikkaku's mind echoed a line that spoke of the human heart being unfulfilled if it didn't receive a friendly touch once in a while.

"Alright," Yumichika said with a smile, finally taking his hand away, leaving the spot slightly cold. "I have what I need for now. You can change back into your own clothes." Ikkaku did so, a little disappointed, assuming that their meeting was pretty much over, but when he came back over, Yumichika was smiling excitedly, eyes so alive and sparkling that Ikkaku couldn't help but smile back.

"I'm so happy to make something for a man," he said, clapping his hands together once. He'd hung up a few things for Ikkaku to look at, looking to him dubiously as he showed him. "I thought we could talk about fabric and detailings together? If you'd like?"

"Okay," Ikkaku said with a half-laugh, still a little surprised that Yumichika was so eager to keep him around. It sounded a little boring, but it wouldn't be if he got to hang with Yumichika. Being with him for as long as possible was absolutely ideal.

"Unless you'd like to entrust the details to me," Yumichika asked uncertainly, perhaps sensing that Ikkaku wasn't exactly into choosing clothes.

"I'll stay," Ikkaku said shortly with a strained grin. Yumichika smiled back, positively glowing as Ikkaku sat down near him. Yumichika perched himself on the cushion next to him, arm bumping against his slightly as he got comfy.

"Ooh- Pardon me," Yumichika excused himself as he scootched a little too close, their legs knocking, but he made no effort to move away. "Now," he said briskly, looking to Ikkaku's face, which freaked Ikkaku out a little bit, because they were only a few inches apart at this point, "Do you like these pockets, with a flap, or would you like it better if it were more invisible?" Yumichika then leaned forward and knelt on the floor in front of a jacket he'd hung up, tucking the pocket flaps inside. Ikkaku narrowed his eyes and pursed his lips, thinking hard as Yumichika switched it a few times so that he could see the difference.

"You like it like this?" Yumichika guessed, sticking the flap back in one more time. Ikkaku nodded.

"Yeah, I think that looks better to me." Yumichika smiled, and wrote something down to take note of that.

"Okay. So, for colors, I assume that you'd like to go with black," Yumichika said cautiously, giving him a look that made Ikkaku nod dumbly. "Black jacket and pants?" Yumichika asked when he didn't get a verbal response.

"Yeah."

"And…" Yumichika rummaged through a huge box of fabric swatches, "White shirt? Or something else? Red, maybe?" Ikkaku bit his lip.

"Hm… Better go with white," he said cautiously. He was thinking that Renji might go with red for his wedding, and he didn't want to end up embarrassing him or something, but then again, what difference did it make? Ikkaku liked red better anyways; it was his favorite color. How had Yumichika guessed?

"Wait no," he said, changing his mind. Yumichika glanced back at him with a smile. "I'll do red, yeah."

"I'll show you a few options," Yumichika said as he rifled through his supplies for almost a full minute, finally plopping back down next to Ikkaku with a few different blacks in hand. "So, there's flat black, pinstripes, black-on-black, off-black, or… maybe this? Or..."

Feeling a little overwhelmed, Ikkaku frowned and leaned forward, not seeing much of a difference between them. "Hm…" He shrugged, squinting as he glanced between two. "What do you think?"

Yumichika seemed glad to be asked his opinion, and took a deep breath, smiling somewhat uncomfortably as he looked to the side, "I'd choose something that went with whatever else I'd decided on, but I'm someone who sacrifices comfort for appearance. Go on and feel them," Yumichika offered, holding them out.

"Oh," Ikkaku said, feeling stupid as he reached out and touched one, then the next, and so on. "Hm… This one," he picked a black with a slight gloss, "and this one," and another black that was completely plain, as far as he could tell. He figured that he should play it safe. Yumichika nodded in agreement.

"Okay, I don't know if you noticed, but this is actually just barely navy," he informed, then holding up the glossy one, "and this is just a flat black." Without asking, Yumichika held them up to Ikkaku's face, comparing it to his skin. Ikkaku squinted his eyes shut for a second in surprise, feeling the side of Yumichika's hand touching his cheek.

"Hm… They're both equally good, but…" Yumichika pursed his lips indecisively, letting Ikkaku take a look. It took Ikkaku a couple minutes to pick, scrutinizing the two for the difference that he could still barely see, while Yumichika picked out some reds and some other blacks.

"If you're going to go with a red shirt, I'm thinking that the vest would look better as black too. How do you feel about that?" Yumichika called as he dug through a closet in the hall, thread spools rolling across the floor behind him. Ikkaku smiled a little bit, shaking his head. Yumichika's enthusiasm was a little crazy, but charming. He was a kindred spirit in that he was nuts for swordplay and everything concerning it.

"That sounds about right," Ikkaku replied when Yumichika came back with a cardboard box that held more fabric scraps, each marked and named with a tag.

"The vest should be thicker, but still breathe…" Yumichika searched through the pile, taking a few out and throwing them behind him as he looked briefly at each. Ikkaku grinned, dodging. "I know how much one can sweat when they're dressed in so many layers," Yumichika mumbled.

Ikkaku snorted. "Yeah, I sweat like crazy," he admitted awkwardly, but Yumichika just laughed in reply and handed him something. He looked down in surprise. It was a rough black, feeling almost like corduroy. It hadn't been what he'd had in mind. "Are you sure?" he asked, frowning, holding it up as Yumichika looked back at him.

"Oh, you won't feel it against your skin, since you'll have a shirt under it," Yumichika replied, seeming slightly concerned, but Ikkaku gave a hum.

"That's true."

Yumichika looked for another choice. "How about this one?" he offered, tossing him another that was much better; less itchy.

"Okay."

Looking at reds took much longer, but they settled on a dark rich red with a slight sheen to it. Ikkaku was sure that the fabric was extremely expensive, but it didn't seem to be satin, which he was glad for, because satin doesn't breathe much.

"Would you like a handkerchief?" Yumichika asked, adding, "For your pocket?" when Ikkaku didn't catch his meaning. "I'll waive the fee for that." Ikkaku grinned toothily.

"Yeah, that sounds okay… Better go with white," he mused. Yumichika nodded as if that had been what he'd been about to suggest, and they selected a lined white print with sharp angles out of all the off-whites, creams, and gleaming pearls. Yumichika sure collected a lot of different kinds of cloth.

Standing up, Ikkaku stretched, looking at himself in front of the mirror, back in his stupid t-shirt and jeans. Catching Yumichika's eye there as he came up behind him, Ikkaku looked at his toes. "I feel like such an idiot." Yumichika gave a mock gasp of horror, shaking his head.

"You looked great. Very masculine," he said with a smile, touching his shoulders and squeezing before waltzing off to his desk, yanking out a few drawers and checking them for something.

"Really?" Ikkaku asked, wondering if that had been a pity compliment or not.

"Yes," Yumichika replied honestly, and Ikkaku believed him. "There's a few more decisions to be made. Buttons," he said simply.

"Buttons?" Ikkaku repeated, scratching his neck and looking at himself for a moment longer. He wondered what Yumichika could do to make him look better. Never mind if he actually looked better or not, because anything Yumichika made would make him feel so good whenever he wore it; they say confidence looks good on everyone.

"Take a look at some of these," Yumichika said, pulling out another drawer. "Black or off-back would be best." Ikkaku picked some with little effort, his eye just catching the ones that looked right immediately. "How many on the cuff, two or three? And on the front, four or five? Or one," Yumichika added, seeming flustered, eager to get started. "What do you want?"

"You know best," Ikkaku said, "You decide." That was always the right thing to say, and Yumichika smiled after a moment, seeming happy about that.

"Alright," he said, closing the drawer. "I have what I need." Ikkaku began to frown, but made no move to leave as Yumichika got out some bags with paper cut-outs, which happened to be clothing patterns. "Ideally, if no one else comes into the shop, it'll take about three hours. If you'd like to continue shopping and come back… or if you want to come pick it up on another day…?" Yumichika looked up to him as if to say 'shoo'.

"I'll stick around," Ikkaku insisted, grinning uncertainly. Yumichika seemed surprised, but not annoyed. "It's always a good idea to stick with a tailor," he quipped, remembering that seven-giants legend.

Yumichika rolled his eyes, swatting him playfully with a ruler. Ikkaku grinned and pushed him lightly in retaliation. "I don't like to call myself that. Tailors never do well in fairytales."

"Well, what are you then?" Ikkaku scoffed.

"I'm an artisan," Yumichika said, eyebrows raised, eyes closed, hands on his hips like some snobby diva. Ikkaku felt a swell of affection, getting the urge to kiss him while he had no warning.

"Pfft!"

"I am!" Yumichika insisted, giving a stomp of his foot and a grimace as Ikkaku teased him. Ikkaku continued bugging him as he started making his suit and laying the paper-cut outs that corresponded with his measurements on the floor.

Ikkaku followed Yumichika around for awhile, giving him a little boost so he could reach the huge fabric rolls he had stored away, offering to help him carry them. Yumichika refused of course, not letting him touch any of his precious equipment. Ikkaku watched on, enjoying the peaceful atmosphere as Yumichika started pinning the paper-cutouts to fabric sheets he had separated.

After the paper was securely in place, he marked the outline with a piece of chalk and then cut it out. By the time he got the first piece made, he was completely in the zone, and Ikkaku couldn't have bothered him if he'd tried. He lazed around, sometimes lurking behind Yumichika to watch, but otherwise just keeping him company as he worked.

He'd been dozing for about an hour when Yumichika prodded him lightly with his foot. "Since you're here, I can size it on you," he said with a wicked smile. Ikkaku looked up warily, gut clenching up when he realized the quiet crinkling of the paper had ceased some time ago. Yumichika had pieced everything together for the jacket, and the pins were still in it all over.

"I have to try that on?" Ikkaku winced, but shrugged. "Okay." Yumichika helped him put it on so he wouldn't get punctured left and right, and held the sleeves open so he could carefully snake his arms through. He stood there as Yumichika ducked around him and adjusted the pins wherever it was necessary to fit to his body.

"Try not to move."

"I won't. I don't wanna' get stabbed," Ikkaku replied, breathing as little as possible. Yumichika gave a twisted grin and told him that he'd meant that he didn't want him to pull the pieces loose. "Oh, good to know you're worried about me," Ikkaku laughed lightly. Yumichika smiled back, pinching his arm to let him know he was teasing.

"Does it seem okay?" Ikkaku asked. Yumichika nodded in satisfaction, helping him take it off, then sitting down with a flourish and started to sew it, taking the pins out as he went. Ikkaku blinked. His hands moved so fast, and they never made a mistake. He wondered if Yumichika played the piano.

When Yumichika had him try on the red shirt, he had to stand absolutely still for almost half an hour, because Yumichika was unsatisfied with the hem, and the cuffs were more complicated than that of the jacket. "Don't even breathe," Yumichika ordered as he fixed the back and the collar. Ikkaku kept himself steady, not eager to get jabbed with a pin if Yumichika were to overshoot his aim. Yumichika didn't have to tell him to hold still more than once, because Ikkaku obeyed, and for all Yumichika's joking about not caring if he was pricked, Ikkaku was never poked even once.

It took Yumichika another hour and a half to finish everything, by which point he was placing the buttons, marking the center of where each would go with a bit of white chalk. Ikkaku asked what he was doing, but Yumichika didn't want to talk to him while he was working. Concentrating hard, he stood back to make sure everything was centered, seeming pleased with himself once he sewed the buttons on by hand. That took another ten minutes, not to mention the tough sewing that had to be done on the zipper of his pants.

Ikkaku wiped drool off his face when Yumichika finally told him he was finished. He rubbed the sleep from his eyes and stood up, seeing Yumichika turning off his iron and folding his shirt up on top of the ironing board. "Oh, I can't wait. Try them on," he said enthusiastically, and Ikkaku could see that he was nervous about how his work had turned out.

Ikkaku changed quickly, and as soon as he was done, Yumichika knocked eagerly on the dressing-shade, peeking in. Ikkaku looked at himself in the mirror, tugging at his collar and examining his appearance.

The shirt was crisp, and stretched tight across the back of his shoulders. He was surprised about how fitted it was, because it wasn't any looser around the waist, and his arms and chest all seemed to have equal room to move. Turning to the side to look at how well his jacket hugged his back, he could see that it perfectly accented the cobra shape that he'd spent endless hours training to achieve.

The vest tapered in at the waist, the pants made his legs look longer, and to his own surprise, he looked completely natural. It was almost comfortable to wear this. He looked  _good_.

Struggling to button his cuffs one-handed, he turned around to send Yumichika a questioning glance.

"Does it look okay?" he asked, seeing that Yumichika was just staring, eyes giving that 'off-into-space' look.

He gave a smile finally, "You look beautiful." In Ikkaku's opinion, it was a strange choice of words, but the compliment still made his heart squeeze in happiness.

"This feels really good. It looks great," he said, still in shock. Yumichika smiled, and for a moment Ikkaku almost expected him to say something cheesy like, 'because  _you're_  wearing it.' He could plainly see that Yumichika was very happy with how he'd turned out.

Yumichika had an endless supply of ties, none of which seemed right, until he dug one out that was black, with a pattern of red Chinese dragons made entirely of thread on it. "That's perfect," Ikkaku said. Yumichika smiled and held it up, moving in front of him.

"If you'll let me," he began, but Ikkaku had already ducked down and allowed him to slip the tie around his neck and tie it for him. Ikkaku grinned as Yumichika hesitated for a moment and then finished the knot, sliding his hands down his chest and patting. He smiled then, not moving back, looking up to Ikkaku's eyes. Ikkaku didn't cringe away from the vicinity, his bubble of personal space finally just enveloping Yumichika as if it would never let him go again. Yumichika shook his head slightly, smiling and looking him up and down, hands on his cheeks. "Oh, you're just perfect. It turned out so nice… I'm so pleased. Do you like it?"

"Yeah," Ikkaku said with a grin, checking himself in the mirror again. He'd never thought he could look classy in his life, but he really did. "You really came through for me, man. Seriously, thank you." Yumichika smiled modestly, leaving Ikkaku alone so he could change back.

Hanging around at the cash register, Yumichika put his items on hangers and inside a bag that would keep them nice on the ride home. Ikkaku leaned against the counter while Yumichika rung him up. Finding some courage after the confidence boost this whole ordeal had given him, Ikkaku worked himself up to ask him out. He didn't want to let this opportunity slip by. To be honest, Ikkaku got lonely, especially when he caught himself hugging pillows while he was watching TV in the evening.

Yumichika just made him feel really good about himself, and that was enough for Ikkaku to want to spend time with him, as friends at the very least. Hopefully, he could see him again. He just had to be brave and not let his anxiety take over, because if it did, he'd come off as creepy.

"Hey, uh… I'm allowed to bring a guest to the wedding," he started, getting a little nervous when Yumichika gave him that blank indifferent look he always had when he was listening. "Want to come?" he asked, scratching the back of his neck compulsively, doing his best to look Yumichika in the eye. "You could be my date."

Immediately, he began cringing when he saw how uncomfortable Yumichika looked. Yumichika opened his mouth, taking a breath, looking off to the side, and Ikkaku, panicked at the idea of being rejected, snapped out of his casual position, hands coming up as if to keep Yumichika from running away. He quickly amended, "Or you could just come for fun, you know? Like, as my buddy." God, even  _he_  realized how much of a loser he was. He sounded so stupid.

Zipping his lips before he could say anything worse, he just looked at Yumichika cautiously, scowling at himself, brow pinched. What a fucking idiot. Could he  _be_  any more embarrassing? Why did he have to go and say something so stupid?

His heart was pounding hard in his chest as he waited for Yumichika to respond. What would he say? Ikkaku didn't want to end up in his car ten minutes later, punching the dashboard because of his failure. At least it seemed like Yumichika was trying to figure out how to let him down easy.

Yumichika swallowed and looked down at his hands for a minute before beaming at him, "That's very sweet." Ikkaku held his breath, tensing himself for the blow.

' _That's sweet, but no.'_

"I'd love to," Yumichika replied, and Ikkaku stuck a finger in his ear, wringing it around.

"Eh? Love to what?" he asked in confusion.

"I'd love to come," Yumichika repeated, to Ikkaku's utter disbelief. He didn't want Yumichika to see how surprised and desperate he was, so he didn't say anything stupid like 'Really?' or 'Are you okay?' He just stared on for a minute, the butterflies in his stomach crawling around so vigorously that he almost felt nauseous. When Yumichika smiled and tentatively added on, "As your date," Ikkaku smiled back dazedly, feeling Cupid's arrow pierce straight through his heart in the goriest, most violent way possible.

"Great," Ikkaku said, slightly breathless as he got his wallet out and handed Yumichika his credit card. Yumichika smiled, swiping the card and tearing off Ikkaku's receipt, writing his phone number down for him.

"Now, I don't exactly have an 'I don't date my customers' policy, so... Anyways, what I meant to say is, I've enjoyed your company. You've been so nice to me," Yumichika said, looking down, and Ikkaku was bewildered to see that Yumichika wasn't smiling. Immediately, a flare of anger shot up within him. Who had harassed Yumichika?  _Who_  had hurt his feelings, because  _somebody_  had. Someone had made him feel small and less than perfect, and Ikkaku would kill them if he ever found out who'd done it.

The way Yumichika had said that made it sound like Ikkaku had restored his faith in men.

"Aw, pssh," Ikkaku muttered, turning red a little bit when Yumichika grinned at him and continued on telling him that he'd been so sweet. "You're the one who made me feel like I could wear something nice and not be the fakest loser around."

Yumichika gave a gasp of horror, putting his hands on his hips. "But you looked so good! You could've swept me off my feet and murdered me in cold blood at the same time." That was the ultimate compliment to Ikkaku.

"Haven't you ever worn anything formal before?"

"Do hakama count?" Ikkaku asked, cringing.

"No," Yumichika said, rolling his eyes. "Well, I hope you won't burst into flames when you see the bill. It's a good deal, but if you've never bought anything like this before, then… There'll be two zeros." Ikkaku felt a little upset at that. Did he look like he ate fast food every day and lived in a trailer? He wasn't  _completely_ broke.

"Hey, I knew what I was getting into. I won some poker money, so I can cover it," Ikkaku promised, not really caring about how much it cost. He'd set aside a thousand bucks so that he could be absolutely sure that he wouldn't be some chump who couldn't pay for what he'd ordered. It couldn't be more than two hundred dollars anyway, and that was still pushing it. Yumichika's ad had been very generous.

"Well, anyways, I can't wait for our… date?" Yumichika said cautiously. Ikkaku nodded with an 'mhm', making Yumichika smile, seeming more sure of himself. "Weddings are so romantic. Are you going to be the best man?"

"Yeah, but I ain't givin' a speech. The couple's got a special friend who'll be doing that, so now that I'm not going to look like a complete idiot, there's no pressure, really." Ikkaku was leaning on the counter like an idiot, smiling dreamily, unable to take his eyes off of Yumichika now.

Yumichika smiled, enjoying the adoration as Ikkaku nudged his finger and then slid his big hand over his when he wasn't rejected. "I'll buy a wedding gift then. Something small," he assured, when Ikkaku looked guilty. "I hope you won't change your mind."

Ikkaku got personally offended, taking his hand away so that he could stick Yumichika's number in his wallet. "I won't! Why wouldn't I call you back? I asked you out! Why would I just do that for no reason? You know how hard that was?" Yumichika just smiled, leaned in, and pecked his cheek, causing Ikkaku to clam up and go completely red.

Yumichika gave a little laugh, biting his lip, not wanting to embarrass Ikkaku, but obviously finding it adorable. "You're very sweet. I'll hear from you soon, then?"

"Yeah," Ikkaku stuttered, still reeling from that kiss. Was his face still attached? Had his cheek burnt off? Oh god, he was hopeless. "Yeah, I'll call you soon. Should I wait a day, or two days, or what?"

"However long you want," Yumichika said with a smile, walking around the counter to put away some of the stuff he'd dragged out.

"I'll call you tonight, then," Ikkaku promised, waving as he left the store, feeling a million times better than when he'd entered that stupid mall. He smiled a little, running the palm of his hand over his cheek where Yumichika had kissed. He was never washing this half of his face again.

* * *

_Oh, Arachne, how I envy you…_


	4. Chapter 4

_She pricked her finger on the spinning wheel._

* * *

Ikkaku  _did_  call that night, eager to hear his date's voice again even if it was only through his ancient cellphone. His friends proclaimed that he always talked a little too loud into the receiver, but if he was, Yumichika didn't mention it.

It was a lot easier to flirt with him when he was so far away, and Ikkaku had even gone so far as to tease him and ask 'what are you wearing?' Luckily, Yumichika got the joke and wasn't offended. He actually got pretty mushy, chattering excitedly into Yumichika's ear about all the places they could go on their date, and that they should get something to eat together before the wedding. Ikkaku could practically hear Yumichika smiling as he listened along.

He got through explaining how his work-out room was set up and his precious katana and how awesome it was, and felt his heart just  _explode_  with warmth when Yumichika reacted positively and told him how beautiful he thought swordfighting was. Oh fuck, Ikkaku felt like he'd found the  _one_. He wondered if Yumichika would spot him at the gym or if he would come to some of his fights. Was he the type of person to spend their time getting manicures and avoiding mud, or would they really have stuff in common?

Even if they didn't, after hearing that Yumichika accepted and supported his swordsmanship, Ikkaku felt like he could change pretty much any other part of himself a little bit if it meant getting Yumichika on a second date after the one they were going to have. Shit, speaking of, he had to get in shape for their date! He was going to do pushups until he passed out on the floor!

"So, do you have any pets? Are you a weirdo who likes birds or chinchillas or something like that?" Ikkaku asked, although his gut feeling told him that Yumichika lived on his own. The thought made him sad.

"I have a cat," Yumichika replied coolly, a smile apparent in his voice. "You?"

"No, I'm on my own. Well... You could count my kid-neice as an animal, I guess."

"Pfft!" Yumichika spat out his tea. After listening to him coughing for a few minutes, Ikkaku clenched his teeth tight. Had that been the wrong thing to say? He was immediately relieved when he realized that Yumichika was only laughing that hard.

"You never stop, do you?"

"Stop what?" Ikkaku asked as he heard Yumichika give a little sigh. He could hear wind whistling through the phone as Yumichika got up and moved someplace else in his house.

"I keep thinking that you can't get any more charming, but you just do. You're very cute. It's quite pretty," Yumichika commented idly, making Ikkaku blush, although he was a little uncomfortable about being called 'pretty'. He'd have to get used to that, because although Yumichika had been mostly a listener throughout their phone conversation, the little bits that he did say were riddled with 'pretty' and 'ugly'. It made him _really_  glad that he hadn't gotten on Yumichika's bad side.

"Aw, shut up," he grunted, barely stopping himself before he told Yumichika that  _he_  was the pretty one. He didn't wanna' be too forward and scare him off. If Yumichika knew just how beautiful Ikkaku thought he was, he would be running for the hills with his pepper spray in hand.

"So, anyway for our date... I mean, if you wanna' go out again after that wedding," Ikkaku slowed himself cautiously, knowing that he was thinking too far ahead since they hadn't even  _gone_  to Renji's wedding yet, "I was thinking that we could go to Autorama next month on a Saturday. It's a car conventi-"

"I know what Autorama is," Yumichika replied sweetly.

"Oh... So... You wanna' go, maybe?" Ikkaku asked hopefully, surprised that Yumichika had cut him off like that, because usually he was an avid listener. "If we go on lots of dates, we can become friends first and stuff, so that we're not really strangers anymore." When Yumichika didn't answer, Ikkaku rambled on to cover his tracks, not realizing that Yumichika had just been listening to make sure he was done talking so that he wouldn't interrupt him again. "Or not. I mean, I haven't dated casually before. Should we just drink coffee in a cafe like in the movies? That's so lame, though, right? We should do something fun! Like going to the rollerskate-rink. Or Laser-tag, or paint-ball, orrrr... Oh, shoot,  _go-karts_ _._  Hm, Unless you hate that. We can do something you like too. I'd be fine with going to an art museum-"

Yumichika listened on for probably another ten minutes, completely content to just listen to Ikkaku bare his soul. A couple times Ikkaku would pause and check that he hadn't hung up, but he just kept talking, because the silence didn't seem tense to him. He'd never met someone who liked listening to him before, and it was a little thrilling.

When Ikkaku finally pinpointed what that clattering noise in the background was, incredulously, he asked, "Are you  _still_  at work? What the fuck, man?"

"No, I'm at home," Yumichika assured, voice getting clearer as he relocated his cellphone to his shoulder while he adjusted his fabric under his sewing machine's foot. "This isn't work. It's relaxing. Besides, I like listening to you talk."

Ikkaku bit his lip a little bit, troubled that Yumichika was  _still_  slaving away at his sewing machine like a kid in a sweatshop. "So… Do you make your own clothes then or something?"

"No, never, but I love making things for other people. I have an Etsy account. I get more customers online than I do in the shop, let me tell you." Ikkaku felt kind of bad about that, but didn't speak on it. "I thought about putting out an ad, but that's the first thing people throw away when they open a magazine."

"Yeah, you're right. With your talent though, you could go work for someplace really high class and make a tonna' money."

"Mm," Yumichika considered, "That's true, but I don't think I'd be happy doing that."

That was reason enough for Ikkaku to agree with him.

"So, what night is our date, then?" Yumichika asked, the sewing machine's whirring drowning out his words for a minute. Then Yumichika finished and switched it off. "The wedding," he clarified. "Tell me what day it is so I can mark it on my calender. I'll need time to make myself pretty."

"That's stupid," Ikkaku said bluntly, seizing up and catching himself when he realized that he'd said that  _out loud_. "I mean, like, why waste your time?" Yumichika didn't reply, listening on, but this time the silence felt tense and awkward, as if he could practically hear Yumichika thinking 'what the fuck?'

Ikkaku panicked a little, starting to blurt things out in an attempt to cover his ass. "Wait, not that you're a lost cause, I just mean that you can't get prettier than you already are- Or, no-" He clammed up, pursing his lips and staring at the wall, giving a deep groan. He sucked at keeping secrets; he'd literally  _just_  told himself that he couldn't let Yumichika find out that he thought he was that pretty, but there he'd gone and just blurted it out. He was the biggest blabbermouth around! Just as he was thinking about drop-kicking himself, he realized that Yumichika was laughing softly in his ear.

Ikkaku gave a long sigh. Why was he such a loser? Yumichika didn't seem to mind, but maybe he just had a thing for idiots.

"The wedding's on May sixteenth," Ikkaku grumbled when Yumichika got up to go to his calender. After a few moments of silence and listening to Yumichika humming lightly as he searched the next month for that day, he heard a soft 'damn'.

"Oh no… I'll have to cancel, I'm so sorry." Ikkaku felt like he'd been punched in the gut.

"What?"

"I can't come." It hurt just as bad hearing it the second time.

"You won't see me?" he asked, voice getting high and squeaky from betrayal. Frick, he'd been too pushy and Yumichika had changed his mind! Ikkaku hadn't been planning on  _jumping_  him on their date, honest!

"Did, did I  _upset_  you?" Ikkaku demanded, crestfallen and clenching his phone in his hand. He felt like shit, his stomach tensing up in synch with the sharp dip in his mood. Fucking fuck. Damnit. He'd gotten too emotionally invested, and now he was paying for it.

"I have somewhere to be on that night, and I absolutely cannot miss it," Yumichika explained, sounding disappointed. Ikkaku just cursed himself continuously for falling for a pretty face. Maybe it wouldn't have hurt so bad if he wasn't such a big softy.

"Oh," he said dejectedly, starting on a downward spiral. Who was he to think that such a good-looking guy would like  _him_? Why had he even bothered? He was gonna' be alone until the sun blew up.

"But… That doesn't mean... We can still go out some other night, right?" Yumichika asked hesitantly, and Ikkaku was quick to grab onto the opportunity, gloom lifting. "We don't have to break our other plans... I mean, I still- I mean, it's fine, right?" Yumichika continued, sounding flustered for the first time since they'd met.

"Uh, yeah," Ikkaku said quickly, "Yes, I mean."

"Good," Yumichika replied, relaxing right back down to the cool serene state he always seemed to maintain. Ikkaku would love to rile him up, maybe get him pissed off by beating him at mariokart. Ikkaku wanted to see his face turn red, to see him bite those damn needles in his teeth so hard that they bent. Ikkaku wanted to fit right into that calm atmosphere that Yumichika exuded and sit on the couch with him in silence. He wanted to feel special like this for as long as he could. Yumichika made him feel  _great._

As if he'd read his mind, Yumichika - impressing Ikkaku that he could say something like that without sounding shy - admitted, "I'd love to get to know you better."

Ikkaku's face heated up, and he was glad Yumichika couldn't see him smiling. "Me too."

After a quiet moment where Ikkaku kept punching a rough patch in the carpet to work off some nervous energy, he grinned widely and laughed a little. Yumichika returned it.

"How does the twenty-second sound to you? We can go to Umi Sushi and then to the park. I'd like to do something relaxing for our first date... Well, as relaxing as a sushi-ya can get." Ikkaku blinked. Yumichika really was serious. He fist-pumped as quietly as he could.

They arranged something nice for later on in the month, but as Ikkaku went to sleep that night, he still couldn't shake the disappointment that he wouldn't be able to show Yumichika off to all his friends at once. He really would've liked to take him to that wedding.

* * *

Ikkaku didn't hear from Yumichika for a week, and every time he called or left a voice mail, Yumichika would proclaim through a text message that he was far too busy with no other explanation. Ikkaku began to suspect that Yumichika had changed his mind completely - or maybe had never wanted to go out with him in the first place. When Yumichika had to cancel their date again, Ikkaku despaired and gave up, unable to deal with the disappointment anymore.

It had been nice while it lasted, but it was time to stop waiting by the phone and listening to Yumichika's answering machine pick up. He'd been losing muscle-mass, and he was stuffing his face on ice cream. Coming to the realization that he couldn't spend his time like this anymore when he had shit that needed to get done - like babysitting Yachiru and keeping up with his training - Ikkaku decided to let it go and mourn the loss for what it was so he could try to get over it. Depressed-Ikkaku was a  _chump,_  and it was time for that guy to hit the road so he could be content with being single again.

Ikkaku wasn't going to bounce back that fast, but he knew that he had to at least stop thinking about it for a while, to get it off his mind. He knew that it was still likely that Yumichika might call him back at a later time and tell him how sorry he was about the hold-up, but Ikkaku knew that holding onto the hope would make it twice as painful if he was let down again. It was over, wasn't it? Yeah, it was time to forget about it and try to focus on other things. That didn't stop him from moping enough that he couldn't go to Renji's bachelor party, which sucked, because he could've used a few shots.

He'd bought the ice cream, so he should at least finish it, right? Maybe going to that party would've been fun, but Ikkaku just didn't feel like eating wings in a limo with a bunch of happy drunk fools right now, because he knew if he started slamming back shots, he'd be a pitiful  _mess,_ which was completely stupid, because he'd only known Yumichika for a few hours, right? He hadn't  _lost_  anything. He couldn't lose what he'd never had, but maybe that was what made him so sad. He'd never even had a  _chance..._

Going to the wedding would brighten his spirits at least, because no matter how much of a pathetic sad sack he was, he wouldn't let that ruin his friends' day. Renji and Rukia would kick his ass if he didn't smile in the pictures.

Renji was getting married in a church, and Ikkaku didn't know how he'd pulled that off, but he didn't complain. The place looked pretty with its stained glass windows and all the white flowers, only detracted from slightly by Ichigo's dad, who was already bawling his eyes out in the front row while Yuzu tried to get him to pull himself together.

Ikkaku was guarding the ring box with Renji in the back, and he kept slapping Renji on the shoulder and shaking him a little, because the poor guy was sweating bullets. Ikkaku wasn't good with comforting people, but he was doing his damnedest, because his kouhai was an exception, and it was his special day after all.

"C'mon, don't be nervous now.  _I_  should be nervous," Ikkaku joked, showing him that he'd brought his sword even to an event like this. "The best man's gotta' make sure your bride's honey doesn't come carry her away before you guys get hitched. Hope I don't gotta' kill anyone today."

"Rukia'll take care'a that if it's necessary. She's waited a long time for this," Renji said, taking a deep breath to calm down. All of that could've slipped by on daytime television, but one very important detail was bound to surface eventually: the gender of the 'bride'. "What if he changes his mind?" Renji asked vulnerably, looking to his senpai for advice.

"Then that'll be on him for the rest a' his life," Ikkaku said seriously. "Just enjoy today, man, because you only get married once… Hopefully." Renji laughed, nodding and shaking off his nerves, hardly able to contain his excitement. Ikkaku grinned. He was really glad for Renji, truly he was. He only hoped that someday  _he_ could be that happy too.

"You look good," Renji complimented, having calmed down enough to actually notice what Ikkaku was wearing. " _Daaang_ , that's sharp. You actually found something? I thought you were having trouble with getting something nice," he asked, inviting himself to touch Ikkaku's jacket and take a look at it. Ikkaku grinned morosely. He wondered how pretty Yumichika would've been if he had come to the wedding with him. Maybe they would've looked good together.

"Nah, it's not even a rental. I forked out the dough for this, and it was totally worth it."

"I'm glad it worked out!" Ikkaku only wished that it  _had_  worked out.

After a half an hour, they were walking up together to the slow music that didn't sound like a funeral march surprisingly, Karin and Yuzu behind them with the rings and throwing flower petals. Ikkaku tried not to laugh as Karin got some guy in the face with a handful. Moving off to the side, he watched Renji stand there waiting, looking around for his sweetie, hoping against hope that he wouldn't back out and leave him at the altar.

When Ichigo came out, Ikkaku could see the worry melt off of Renji's face, and the red-haired fool even got a little teary-eyed. Ikkaku grinned thereafter through the whole ceremony because he couldn't get over the fact that Renji wouldn't even take his ponytail out for his  _wedding_. He guessed that that wonder of the world would only ever be witnessed by Kurosaki Ichigo.

The service was short, and as they said their vows, it was clear that Renji was close to crying, which was getting Ichigo uncomfortable. Ikkaku and Rukia shared a look as she continued to take pictures, bouncing away in her chair where she was sitting next to her stoic older brother. Rangiku sent Ikkaku a wink, seeming to be enjoying herself.

At the dreaded 'speak now' moment, Renji gave a sharp challenging glare to the crowd, but no argument came.

Orihime was wiping her eyes, sniffling, smiling sadly. Her tears weren't nearly as noisy as Isshin's, but Ikkaku still gave Grimmjow a signal, knowing that if Ichigo started feeling guilty, everything could fall to shit.

He knew that Orihime was happy for the couple, truly, but the heartbreak had to be immense. Catching his discreet hand-sign, Grimmjow nodded and glanced to the side, seeing Orihime crying into her hands two seats down. Ulquiorra seemed to be contemplating on patting her shoulder to comfort her, when Jaegerjaquez nudged him in encouragement. He stiffly put an arm around her shoulders and she immediately flopped her head onto his side, which just about gave him a heart attack. Grimmjow tried to stop a grin, putting his feet up on the pew in front of him. Even though he surprisingly hadn't made any disruptions thus far, Ikkaku gave him a warning glare before turning his attention back to his friends.

"Till' death do you part."

Ichigo's lip curled a little at that line as if it were morally offensive that death could  _possibly_  hope to part them, but he didn't raise an objection.

"Till' death do we part," Renji repeated, bowing his head and swallowing down the lump in his throat, eyes rimmed with red as he gave the smallest smile, sniffing. Ichigo finally smiled a little, breaking his straight-faced serious attitude.

"You may kiss."

"Get over here," Ichigo snapped benevolently, grabbing Renji around the shoulders and yanking him in before he could so much as wipe his eyes. Ikkaku just snickered in the background, glad that they kept it clean in front of their families at least. Renji was grinning dazedly when they parted, holding Ichigo's hand. Ichigo was red in the face, but seemed to think that one public display throughout their lives together was okay. Rukia sure didn't make it any better by teasing them with a whistle and a wave.

"You dorks!" Ikkaku shouted when mass was pretty much over and Renji carried Ichigo on piggyback down the aisle. Ichigo waved him off, the wide grin on his face not fading in the slightest.

Ikkaku smiled and shook his head. The world wouldn't have gone on the same if those two weren't together.

* * *

Ikkaku leaned back in his chair next to Hisagi, who was chatting with Kira and Momo, whose cheeks were already pink from sipping champagne and flirting. Hisagi thought it was pretty funny, but the real prize was for Ikkaku, when Kira leaned into Shuuhei's personal space and set the older guy's cheeks ablaze.

Ikkaku laughed about that for ages.

Hisagi was in dark colors, having a steely grey vest on and a black dress shirt underneath, which was clashing with his red face. Kira was in powder blue, and Momo had on a pretty yellow dress with short flowy sleeves. Ikkaku kept getting compliments on his own formal wear, but every time he did, it hurt his heart a little bit. If only Yumichika had come.

Pushing that from his mind, not wanting to dampen the celebration, he looked up to the head table, where Rukia was standing up, not making much of a difference from when she was sitting because of her height. Eventually, when she couldn't call attention by hitting her glass with a knife, she rolled up a program and used it as a substitute for a megaphone.

Starting with her speech, Renji and Ichigo seated on either side of her, she looked to both of them and then out to the crowd. "Two idiots. Not that surprising, right?" Byakuya raised his glass to that. Laughter resounded throughout the room, and with that, Rukia got serious and actually said a lot of nice things about them. Renji flopped his forehead onto her side in pleased embarrassment.

"Let's toast to a long and happy marriage," Rukia said cheerfully, raising her glass up as everyone went 'kanpai' around the room. Ikkaku was pleased to finally have some alcohol.

They'd gone to a nice hall for their reception, a spacious white room that held not so much of family, but mostly extended friends that had become family to the couple. After all, Ichigo and Renji had next to no living relatives, but many people in their lives who loved them and wanted to see them happy. Therefore, there was no shortage of company or food. Ikkaku thought he was going to die because of how much he'd eaten.

He'd gone up to congratulate his friends on their marriage like everyone else, and had hung around and talked with them for a while. Ichigo and Renji had hugged Orihime on both sides, who was crying a little still, but she seemed to be genuinely happy for them. Byakuya had gone up to formally wish them well, stiff as usual, but he'd cracked a smile at one point, which just about gave Renji a heart attack. Rukia was jittering with happiness, so ecstatic that her friends were finally together and that her nii-sama had approved in the end. At first, Kuchiki hadn't thought it appropriate for Rukia to attend the wedding at all, but she had worked him down when he'd seen how depressed she'd gotten.

Renji was refusing to get up, eating with his left-hand like it wasn't obvious that he and Ichigo were holding hands under the table. Ichigo was still trying to recover from when Rangiku had come to congratulate them, having practically dragged the both of them across the table so she could hug them tightly. Gin had found this particularly amusing, and had wished them luck and long lives together. Everyone had to admit that ever since he and Rangiku had gotten hitched after Aizen's mysterious death, Ichimaru had gotten a lot more bearable. Ikkaku and Renji shared a wine bottle and reminisced for a while, as Ichigo and Rukia whispered together about the cake and when it would be acceptable to go steal some frosting off the side.

When the music started, Ichigo punched Isshin, who was trying to dance with him like the 'bride' and her father usually would. Once he chased his old man off the dance floor, he and Renji slow danced for a while, obviously talking and paying no attention to anyone else.

' _But I… can't help_ _…_ _falling in love with youuu,'_

Ikkaku sat there along the edge, grinning and swaying slightly to the music, taking a drink every once in a while as he did some people-watching. He slow-danced with Rangiku for a bit, talking in depth about the quality of the alcohol at the party, and then danced with Karin and Yachiru when a pop song came on.

After teasing Renji about his dreamy-eyes, Ikkaku finally plopped down, sweating a little as he grabbed his drink off of the table, turning back to the dance floor and leaning back to watch Renji and Ichigo spin together. Ikkaku grinned with a sigh, glancing to the side and just about doing a spittake half way across the room.

"What the fuck, you-" Yumichika just smiled at him, leaning down in his face, hand offered out teasingly.

"May I have this dance?"

"PFf-" Ikkaku sputtered, still looking around in confusion and shock, pointing over his shoulder as he tried to figure out what had just happened. "You, and- You didn't- So, wait, this whole time you just had to come _here?"_

Yumichika laughed once, smiling, looking to his toes and leaning back. Ikkaku swallowed hard, heart pounding. "I'm surprised too. This is what they call a 'sign'. Don't ask questions," Yumichika said flatly, smiling coyly as he dragged Ikkaku out of his seat. Ikkaku eagerly hauled them to a spot in the corner so they could dance together.

Yumichika's arms eagerly slid up around his shoulders, and Ikkaku's hands automatically went to Yumichika's waist, palms already sweating. Yumichika bit back a laugh when Ikkaku stumbled a little. "Nervous about something?"

"Hell no, my dancing is fucking fantastic," Ikkaku boasted, pulling Yumichika in tighter so that their noses were almost touching. He grinned widely and Yumichika's eyes just half-closed as he smiled in return. Ikkaku swallowed hard, glancing down a little as his fingers curled awkwardly where he was holding Yumichika's sides.

"Wow, I didn't expect this," Ikkaku said with a wistful sigh, a hand coming up slowly to brush the side of Yumichika's hair, as if he expected Yumichika to flinch back. Yumichika just gave a genuine laugh, seeming to like Ikkaku's lovey eyes.

"Lucky, right? How do I look?" Yumichika asked, stepping back for a moment and posing. Ikkaku grinned, pulling him back in and leaning in to his ear as they slowly swayed together.

"Amazing." That was an understatement. Yumichika had on a pale lavender shirt, with a dark purple vest over it, and a paisley tie. His hair was styled on one side, curling behind his ear, and his legs just went on forever in those pants. Ikkaku was sure that when the lights lifted, he'd pass out from how sparkly and perfect Yumichika looked.

When the romantic music finally quit, they wandered back to Ikkaku's table and ate together for a while, congratulating the couple again together, who were hanging out at their head table again, lounging and feeding each other. Renji had only been married for like three hours, but was already having a great time, it seemed.

"Nn," Renji said, chewing as Ichigo guided another bite of cake to his mouth, for once not giving a fuck about who saw them being intimate. "Thanks babe," he mumbled, turning back to Ikkaku, "So you found your date after all, huh?"

Ikkaku turned a little pink, but grinned and slung his arm around Yumichika's shoulder. "Yeah, He's pretty great. Don't we look awesome together?"

"You guys could kick major ass," Ichigo commented, pointing with his fork to Kenpachi, who was two steps away from letting Yachiru grab something from on top of their tiered wedding cake. "Exhibit Alpha," he nudged, indicating that they should go stop the disaster before it happened. Renji picked a frosting flower off Ichigo's fork when it came back up to his mouth.

Ikkaku grinned, towing Yumichika along so he could meet his idol and his niece. Ichigo grinned, feeding Renji another bite of cake and leaning in to kiss the frosting off his lip. Renji asked him teasingly if he'd worn a garter on his thigh so that he could grope him in front of everyone and go get it. Ichigo just gave him a flat unimpressed look, and a moment later, Renji's face turned inexplicably red, not having anticipated that Ichigo would pinch his butt in front of their friends.

Later Ikkaku and Yumichika danced some more together, ignoring when Yachiru would hop onto their shoulders and lean in between their faces to try to get their attention. Eventually Kenpachi came to rescue him, which Ikkaku was glad for, because it meant that his role model approved of his love interest. He had a real good chance tonight, and he didn't want to blow it like always.

"Am I gonna' see you again?" Ikkaku asked uncertainly when Kenpachi finally shooed Yachiru away from them so he could take her home.

"Why wouldn't you?" Yumichika wondered with a smile, fingers playing idly over Ikkaku's neck as Ikkaku locked his arms around Yumichika's waist, thumb rubbing his side absently. Ikkaku shrugged once, mentioning how Yumichika hadn't really answered him back much when he'd tried to call.

"Well, it just seemed like you were avoiding me," Ikkaku said offhandedly, noticing the way that Yumichika was suddenly dodging his gaze. "Were you serious when you said you wanted to go out, or not? I mean, how am I gonna' get a hold of you if things stay like this?..." Suddenly it occurred to Ikkaku that Yumichika may have meant to cut him out of his life and had been struck with some sort of horrible luck to run into him again at the party.

"This must've been a damn shame for you, huh?" Ikkaku said sourly, but Yumichika shook his head, intimidated.

"Of course we can stay in touch. I'm just a busy man," Yumichika replied.

"Mn," Ikkaku grunted in reply, knowing that 'I'm busy that day' is the nice way people like to turn others down. Not moving to say anything else and allowing the silence to stretch, Yumichika eventually cracked.

"Okay, I lied," he said breathlessly, unable to meet Ikkaku's eyes, which was jarring considering how rock-steady he'd always been in maintaining eye contact during conversation. "I'll come clean, okay? I  _was_ avoiding you in favor of staying at home, but not because I don't like you. I like you very much."

"Then why?" Ikkaku asked, confused. "Are you shy?"

"Maybe that's it," Yumichika said quietly, swaying with him, cheek brushing against Ikkaku's as Ikkaku leaned his face against his in comfort.

"You were so nice to me and I really did want to go on a date with you. You were so eager, and... After the excitement of you wanting me faded, and I was thinking for a few days, I didn't know if I was ready for a change. I thought it would be easier to just go on as I have, in contentment, rather than take a risk. Do you understand? I value silence. I value my personal space and my quiet time alone. I'm happy like this being on my own, and I don't need my beauty validated by a lover. Do you understand that? I don't need you," he said lowly, and Ikkaku could see that it was true. "So  _wanting_  you could turn into something that could destroy my independence. If I were to latch on and not be able to let go, I wouldn't be content when I was alone again."

"Hey, I'm not like th-" Yumichika cut him off, putting a finger on his mouth and going on with the same soft tone.

"We've only just met. I don't  _know_  if you're like that or not. I have no conceivable idea of what you may do," Yumichika looked up into his eyes then, a glint there telling Ikkaku that he wanted adventure, that he wanted something to happen between them. Ikkaku ran his hands up and down Yumichika's spine once, marveling at how  _right_  it felt to hold someone in his arms after so long. "But... What am I really afraid of, anyway? If you were to hurt me, it's not as if my world would end. Even if you did your absolute worst, I would survive," Yumichika said without an ounce of doubt in his voice.

"Maybe it's not fear of betrayal, then, or shyness," Yumichika went on. "Perhaps I didn't feel any of it was worth the effort or the time, and I just tried to let it go, even though I knew you'd be disappointed. I had already said yes to you, but still, I wanted to stay by myself. Some people call it 'reclusive', but I don't see solitude as a flaw or a punishment. That aside, maybe it got in the way of me letting you in. I was going to let it drop and cut ties."

Ikkaku frowned a little, saddened by what he was hearing, but Yumichika finally met his eyes with a satisfied resigned look. "I thought all this, it's true, but after seeing you tonight even when I tried to avoid you... The... the universe must be trying to tell me something," Yumichika said with a smile, letting Ikkaku nudge him and tell him that it was  _luck._

"What were you doing, then, that kept you so busy, anyway?"

"Working. I sew when I'm alone."

"Well,  _don't_  be alone," Ikkaku insisted. "Be with me," he whispered, leaning in a little to kiss Yumichika on the lips. He didn't get a response from Yumichika's mouth against his, but he was still glad that he'd done it. Yumichika sighed, smiling, head resting under Ikkaku's as they swayed slowly. Ikkaku let out a shaky breath, grinning and looking at the ceiling, rubbing the back of Yumichika's head. If that wasn't the feeling of knowing he'd just won Yumichika over, then he didn't know what was.

' _Forever young… I want to be… forever young…'_

Yumichika smiled, nudging Ikkaku and half pointing to their friends as they spun to the side. Ikkaku looked up questioningly, still holding the back of Yumichika's head so that he could keep him in an embrace, cheek against his forehead. He had a goddamn boyfriend now and he was gonna' milk this moment for as long as he could.

The lights were dimmer now and Renji and Ichigo were slow dancing in the corner, still talking and kissing each other once in a while, spinning slowly and swaying. Yumichika and Ikkaku just smiled, watching them dance together before sneaking away from the party.

* * *

_Sew my heart back together._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> CN - (Source/meanings)- (I've been doing this weird thing where I put a one-liner or related joke or fact, or song lyric, or I'll write a poem at the beginning or end of each chapter. I wanted to keep them a mystery so that you could find them yourself, but I've decided to start sourcing them at the story's end so that you can distinguish my poems from that which doesn't belong to me. So below are those which I directly sourced, and those I had inspiration from. The others, I came up with myself.)
> 
> 1 (Intro) – Schoolhouse Rock – 'Mother Necessity'.  
> 2 (Closing) – Spongebob Squarepants – 'Ripped Pants'.  
> 3 (Intro) – Thread of fate legend - a Japanese fairytale/myth/superstition where soulmates are bound by the fingers to each other by a red thread.  
> 3 (Closing) – Arachne was a mortal woman from greek mythology who had incredible talent at weaving on a loom. She was foolish enough to challenge Athena, and won. Athena became so jealous that she changed her into a spider and destroyed her tapestry. Arachne was then punished to weave for all time.  
> 4 (Intro) – Sleeping Beauty was cursed to prick her finger on her sixteenth birthday upon a spinning wheel.
> 
> (And Yes, that was Sanji and Zoro in chapter one to those who caught it. Hope you guys aren't mad about that.)


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